Untouchable
by JustaBunchaHOOPLA
Summary: Alyss finds a girl, an outcast. Who is this mystery girl? NOT A GIRL RANGER, I SWEAR The answers were infinite, and many were highly debatable.
1. Prologue

**I had this idea when I was prancing around in my cape…I don't want to give too much away, but you can probably guess. No, she is NOT a girl Ranger.**

Untouchable: Prologue

There she stood. She was one of those short people.

Her slight frame barely took up the volume of her cloak, and it billowed out behind her. It was almost as it was trying to swallow her up. But she was undeniably in control here.

Small in stature, it would seem fit if she was shivering uncontrollably. But yet she wore only a thin traveling cloak, unbothered by the elements swirling around her, whipping her long, dark brown, almost black, locks of hair in her face.

And then there were her eyes.

Dark, but amiable and outgoing. Intelligent and mischievous. Curious, but almost wistful, as if she had seen things beyond her years. And, one that trumped all others, an unmistakable layer of underlying sarcasm and amusement. Fascinating, really.

…

The girl threw a casual glance over shoulder, then shrugged. And on she stood, as it were a beautiful day out. In reality, it was the onset of a terrible storm.

Alyss observed her from behind a brittle bush, it didn't matter if she was quiet or not. Horace could have come stomping through and sneezing all he wanted, and the girl would not have heard a peep through the raging, infuriated wind.

She was quite a remarkable 13 year old. And Alyss had yet to figure out all her little quirks.

The tall blonde smiled inwardly. It was going to be an interesting week.

**I don't know if I should continue, but I can promise you this: This mystery girl is not going to be yet **_**another**_** girl Ranger. Please tell me if it made sense, as this is my first OC. And, this is my second try at a REAL multi-chaptered story (as in not humor) and I'm trying to put a subplot in…somehow…lol. Tell me what you think, like if you like her/find her interesting and whatnot. I think I will continue…cuz I'm bursting with ideas! I sincerely thank you if you've read all this…remember that magical blue button right under this :)**


	2. Debatable

**Hullo, fellow friends who have read this far. This is set right after book 10, so they're not married just yet.**

Chapter 1: Debatable

"So, you're telling me you saw this girl, about thirteen." Will stated for the ump-teenth time.

"Uh-huh," Alyss replied, an unreadable expression masking her face.

"And you're interested in her because you saw her sneak off a ship that she was not an obvious part of," Will went on.

"Yep," the courier drawled on.

"And you find her intriguing." Will raised an eyebrow. Leaning back in his chair and hooking one leg over the side, he looked much like his old mentor.

"Must we keep going over this? And don't tip that chair over!" she scolded him, already getting into the act of being a wife. Much like Pauline, in fact. Then she sighed heavily, finally revealing her aggravation. Sometimes her boyfriend was so curious that it drove her to the verge of insanity.

"This is debatable," he vaguely trailed off. Alyss sighed. He was almost (_almost_) as difficult as Halt. She was curious, and nothing was going to stop her from finding out more of this girl. "She could be dangerous, or mentally unstable. I mean, she was with a crew of Skandians for Gorlog's sake!"

"I _know_ that, Will. But there was something diplomatic; if not graceful about her, she could have been a princess or someone else of high rank, kidnapped. I just got that feeling from her, ya know? You would know once you saw her."

"I don't know about this…" Will's expression softened, he could feel her _itching_ to get out there and find out more. It had happened to himself on numerous occasions with Halt. "Well, what did she look like? Where were you?"

"I couldn't tell all that much, but I know she had pretty long hair, almost black, a thin black traveling cloak, tanner than your average civilian around here, and probably Nihon-Jan. Or some surrounding country near there. She had that look to her, that all Nihon-Jans have. I was, um, hiding behind a dead bush, on that cliff overlooking the harbor. She was in the grassy field behind it."

Will scratched at his shaggy hair, drowning in the deep depths of complex thinking. They sat in silence for quite a bit, but you could tell they were both thinking along the same lines. She was deeply intriguing, why would a Nihon-Jan girl show up some months later, about the time it takes to sail from Shigeru's empire to Araleun? Especially right after they had already wrapped things up?

Who was this mystery girl?

The answers were infinite, and many were highly debatable.

**Review anyone? It's kinda short…but tell me what you think. **_**Constructive **_**criticism is fine, in fact, it would be great! I'm definitely**___not_** expecting you be begging at my knees for more :) Although that would be amusing…**


	3. Nowhere to Be Found

Chapter 3: Nowhere to Be Found

No, she had to keep her cool. It wasn't easy, she was newly apprenticed, but she had learned the basics with her master. It was only a meager two months, then she fled to this strange place called…what was it again? Aura-land or something. This fief was called Redmont, recalling the instructions she had been given. But now was not the time to run and hide, like a scared little boy. She would stay strong, for the family she knew was still in Nihon-Ja. And her master. This was vital to her, she would either do-or-die.

_Stop freaking out!_ _You, Miss Carey Lau, will not flip out once again. As long I as I look confident, I should be alright… _The girl thought to herself as the grass slapped against her earthy brown work boots, like vines snaking up a wall. They weren't all that diplomatic, but recently usefulness had taken over looks.

_This is going to be harder than I thought…people are after me already, _Carey thought as she glanced up one more time at a slim woman hiding (and failing) behind a bush. It looked like it was going to uproot itself because of the wind. _I'm probably just paranoid._

The thirteen year old sighed, and started off back again towards the harbor.

Assess surroundings. Check.

Find shelter, preferably an inn. Use money given. _That's my next step, _she checked off in her mind.

_Stay strong._

…

_Dear Emperor Shigeru,_

Will chewed on the end of his quill, then spit out some tiny feathers, realizing what he had been doing. Not a good idea, because now there was feathery spit on his letter. Sighing, he went to go get another piece of paper from a kitchen cabinet. _I'll get some coffee while I'm at it…_Alyss was going to ask around at the local inn, to see if anyone has heard of a Nihon-Jan girl coming and going. As of late, she had been really jumpy. Will didn't know what it was…He brushed it off as a girl thing. Sometimes they could be over obsessive about things. He groaned, remember the "phase" she and Jenny had gone through with unicorns when they were still in the Ward. That was pure torture. Who sings about unicorns? Again, it was a girl thing.

Back to work. But this time with a steaming cup of the ever present coffee.

…

Alyss imagined a conversation in the near future with Will. It went something like this:

"_So, did you find anything out?" Will asks as I push through the door._

"_No…why do you ask?" I try to look as innocent as possible._

"_No reason, but this _has _been the thing you've been obsessing about for the past day or so." Will gives me a cheeky grin."You can't defy my crushing logic."_

"_Please don't say it,"_

"_I. Told. You. So."_

_I sigh. He was impossible. And yet I still wonder why we were getting married._

_*_flash forward ends*

Alyss approached the cabin, noting the aromatic smell of a particular brown liquid. That stuff could not be good for him.

**Look at me, updating in the middle of the week. You should be cheering for state tests and no homework :)**


	4. Memories

**I FEEL SO BAD! I lied in my a/n in the first chapter…Carey is actually my second OC. Phil is my first…he was a boring apprentice to write, not too bright either :)**

Chapter 4: Memories

One very exhausted thirteen year old flopped down on a relatively soft but clean bed with a _whoosh_. Apparently she had a "complex" accent and she was given a difficult time in getting a room for the night. She had no idea why, she was fluent in the common tongue, Japanese, and could get by in various languages. Compared to her native people, she had almost no accent. Some people are just so biased against young people. It had been a _long_ day. First sneaking away from those hulking Skandians, trying not to spaz up and freak about her situation in general, and, on top of that, the time differences. Nevertheless, Carey trusted her mentor this was all of a grand plan. For now, she would sleep and re-energize. And she _wasn't_ a light sleeper.

…

As predicted, Alyss' conversation she imagined in her head was practically a mirror image to what haooened the second she walking into hearing range of Will.

"Whatcha' doin'? " Alyss asked, looking over Will's head. As she was standing, there was no need to look over his head. He was a midget, after all. "Writing a report?"

"No, just a letter to the Emperor. I reminded Horace, so if he actually remembers our letters will get to him together. I also, wanted to invite him to our wedding," he said his trademark cheeky grin, looking up at her face. Even after being outside and exposed to some rather windy elements, she still looked beautiful. He pondered over this for a while, until Alyss snapped back into reality.

"Who said we were getting married? Hm?" she teased, mock angry.

"Well, when I asked you, you seemed mad so I took that a yes." He offered.

"C'mon, you can do so much better." She smiled, confused as an obvious expression of relief washed over his features.

"You didn't kow I was kidding?" her grey eyes widened in alarm.

Will raised an eyebrow and retorted, "You _are _almost as good as Pauline."

"Well," she smiled, "I _was _trained by the best." Kissing the top of his head, she went to go save the burning water that was for his coffee. Poor kettle. Alyss decided to make tea instead.

…

_I was running, no I was being carried, the ground rushing from beneath me. I inhaled the peculiar scent of my brother, Michael. Confusion. Screaming. The smell of death, the metallic smell of blood. Total chaos was breaking loose. It filled my nose, until I was ready to black out. But the Senshi were no match for my poor village, those loyal farmers. I had no idea what was happening, I just remembered it was absolutely terrible, I could feel Michael slowing, exhausted from sprinting away at top speed. I heard thumps behind me, and it looked over his shoulder to see my mother in hot pursuit. I was too tired to process why my father wasn't there…_

Carey jolted awake from her recurring nightmare. The night she never talked about. Her head pounded from the surge of bad memories. To push them away, she engulfed herself in an onslaught of happy memories instead. Not necessarily happy, but ones that she treasured.

When she asked her mother about her namesake:

_ "Mama, how come you named me something so…so…foreign sounding?" the young girl asked, her, dark intelligent eyes staring up at her mother._

_"Well, I like the sound of it," she replied nonchalantly, but Carey could tell there was more to this. Probing further in the issue, she decided on a simple, "Are you sure about that?" It was one often asked in the Lau household._

_ "Yes, I'm sure. Has a nice ring to it, doesn't it?" It wasn't a traditional Nihon-Jan name, but her mother was known for her quirks._

_ "Oh," but her mother knew she wanted to learn more of her namesake. "What about Michael? He has a foreign sounding name too." _

_ "I liked that too, although Michael Lau doesn't sound as nice as Carey Lau." Her mother ruffled her hair, and told her to go help her older brother gather with his school things._

Why she had to learn two languages, fluently:

_"Mama, how come I'm the only one who has to know another language? Not even Michael has to. The common tongue is hard," Carey pouted; she thought everyone did the same as she up until the first day of school. Or at least until they got as old as Michael was. In reality, he was only twelve._

_ "Well," she tried to put it in a way that would make sense to her, "I have a special job in mind and it takes great skill. Pa and I decided to bequeath this upon you, instead of Michael. It takes a very special girl in order to do this." _

_ "Ma, what does 'bequeath' mean? Am I really that special that you couldn't trust Michael? How come the kettle's making that funny sound? I thought Michael could do anything." Carey considered her older brother to be indestructible, he knew everything, and, all in all, he was her role model. Fondly looking down at her inquisitive expression, her mother went to go save their poor kettle about to burn the house down._

A good memory, her father's birthday:

_ "Ma, can you pass the rice?" Carey asked, pointing to her bowl, now empty._

_ "Michael, pass her the rice, I'm too far away." Scooping some into her bowl, she asked, "How was school?"_

_ "Well, I had a test, it was easy. How was yours?" he replied, giving his shy sister a grin to prompt her on._

_ "Uhh…well, we started learning about history. We had to go into groups, 'cept my friends got put into a different class this year." she said, looking sad._

_ "Well, didn't you make other friends this year?" he asked, not realizing how hard it might be for her. He was naturally an outgoing kid, and had plenty of friends. In fact, he and his sister were polar opposites when it came to their personalities. _

_ "Most girls in my class don't like me because I wear your old clothes, but I don't have a problem with it. They're comfy. And they always tease me about stuff."_

_ Jumping into their conversation, their mother put on a smile and said, "Well, I have good news for you! Your father got a raise, and then we can get new clothes for you. I'm sure Michael can help you make friends, he has plenty experience." _

_Carey looked doubtful, that wasn't good news to her. Yeah, maybe her family wasn't as well off as those girls at school, but she couldn't see why they had to be so mean to her._

"_Is Pa coming home soon? We have a gift for him, right?" Michael said, gently elbowing his sister and giving her a smile. Since it was his birthday, they had pooled their money to buy ingredients to make a cake. That lifted her mood a lot, they had worked hard and knew he would love the sweet taste of it. He loved things like that, but they were few and far between. Suddenly, the door opened and their father came in, and his favorite little girl forgot about her worries at school and wished him happy birthday._

But, more recently, why her mother wanted her to be a courier:

_"Ma, is Pa going to get better soon?" Carey was worried, she did everything he could for her dad. In his sickly state, his depressing mood washed over the whole family. _

_ "I don't know, his wounds are still pretty bad from the most recent Senshi attack." She replied, and they sat in somber silence while washing clothes. Now, Carey had gotten a brand-new dress and had made new friends. That problem discussed on her dad's birthday was long gone, even though she was still extremely shy around strangers. That was not a good trait for a courier._

_ "Ma, how come I have to be a courier still? I don't like it, it's hard."_

_ "But look how far you've come since your first week, already." It was true, she had learned a lot in just a month and a half. She learned how to mask her expressions, lie without looking suspicious, look confident even when she wasn't, and was almost fluent in the common tongue. It was challenging, but that was good for the curious girl. She learned quickly and was smart, but anything athletic was her downfall. _

_ "I guess," she replied, still lost in thought._

_ "It'll pay off, trust me." She stroked her hair wishing life could be perfect for her little girl even though it wasn't._

_ "Mmmkay," she knew their country was slowly deteriorating, all because of the rebel again Shigeru. And the future generation had to save it._

Carey pondered over these memories for a while, falling into fitful bouts of sleep.

**Just a little filler chapter, so you know more about our little thirteen year old :) It's a bit long for me, but I hoped you liked it. But I don't know much about life back then…I think the next chapter will be better.**


	5. Searching

**Hey, tell me what you think of this chapter and the story so far in general :) Thanks for all the reviews so far!**

Chapter 5: Searching

"Alyss! Don't drag me to the inn with you!" Will protested, stubbornly sitting by the sizzling fire.

"No, you're coming with me," she replied, glaring demandingly with one hand on her hip at him like only a true (soon to be) wife could.

"No, I'm gonna stay right here by the fire, drink my coffee, and not have to face the snow storm outside." He shook his head defiantly.

"Stop being so frumpy and just come!" Will raised an eyebrow like only a true Ranger could.

"Frumpy? What kind of word is that? Why do you have such sudden interest in her? You barely know anything about her." He said the last sentence accusingly, as if they were little kids again and he was tattling on her. Alyss drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. Very, very slowly.

…

Carey slumped down on a bench outside of a restaurant, which was bustling with activity. She had no way of transportation, she didn't have an unlimited amount of money, and she still had to find a person named Paul, who could help Nihon-Ja's biggest political problem as he was head of the diplomatic whatchamacallit. The rest of the written message, which she was instructed to follow precisely, had been blotted out by the salty sea spray. If only she had been instructed to look at it before she snuck aboard the ship… But her trustworthiness was unwavering along with her loyalty, and she resolutely obeyed her master. She sighed again, and was soon seated by who looked like the head waiter even when she was just sitting outside. Carey shrugged mentally and ordered a cup coffee from a bright, blonde woman. It was cozy.

"Would you like anything for lunch? In fact, you're so skinny I'm going to feed you whether you like it or not." she asked, tucking a strand of her impossibly blonde hair to match her impossibly bright attitude. She continued on before Carey could agree or disagree. After all, no one turned down Jenny's cooking. "Today, we have marinated pork ribs with sautéed green beans on the side along with some of our specialty bread, or chicken slow-cooked over our fire," she gestured to a huge fire even seen from the outside, the chickens dripping fat, "along with a mix of vegetables such as carrots and corn also served with some of our specialty bread."

Carey's mouth watered. "I think I'll have some of the ribs, please,"

"Would you like the half-rack?" Jenny asked.

"That would be perfect," Carey smiled, she liked her and she was seemingly indifferent to her race.

"Coming right up," Jenny smiled back.

_Wensly really is a nice village,_ Carey thought as she cast a glance around, fortunate enough to be seated by the window. She watched a merchant pack up his stall, the snowstorm was getting stronger. She watched a guy in a strangely shaded (but somehow familiar) cloak on a shaggy pony argue with a taller woman poised elegantly atop her horse. They turned into the stables where Carey had put her horse, so they were most likely eating here. Her attention drifted away from them and she watched the people pass by, counting the colors of brown horses passing by. Sipping her coffee, she saw the headwaiter call out to Jenny, the enthusiastic woman who had helped her, over to the front entrance. But it wasn't before she shoved a plate of food into another waiter's hands and pointed at her, then hurried over to the front.

Her food was delivered and she inhaled the delectable aromas before shoving her face into the food in a very un-diplomatic way. It was _amazing. _After inhaling one last bite, she wiped her face, took a sip of her coffee, and saw that the couple that had come in earlier was now seated in the very corner. _Why would they sit there so there are so many other tables open that're less squishy? _Carey thought, but it was soon forgotten when Jenny came back over to check on her.

"I assume you enjoyed the meal?" She looked amused as there was not a morsel of food left on the plate. Carey nodded vigorously.

"I'm full now, that was one of the best meals I've had in a long time," Jenny beamed at her, satisfying customers was what she lived for. "Here's your money," Carey said, counting out some coins. "Keep the change as a tip,"

Jenny accepted it and slipped them into her pocket. She liked the girl's polite manner, even if she was shy, and was sad to see her go out into the cold. The flakes were falling more rapidly now, getting fatter and heavier. Plus she looked pretty young to be out by herself just yet.

"Do you have anywhere to stay?" Jenny popped the question before she herself even realized it. The girl looked a little taken aback, but this _was _a nice place. "You can stay here, we have one more open room,"

"That would be wonderful! That last place I stayed at wasn't very nice," This time it was Carey's turn to beam.

"Then it's set! I'll reserve it now before someone else comes in. You can come back later, maybe explore a little bit, or just stay here. I'm sure I can find something for you to do," the teen decided she was a very impulsive person along with her exuberantly jovial personality, nothing seemed to stop the flow of words. She thanked her again, then walked across the street to the fabric shop.

_I really want Alyss to shut up, _Will thought. _This girl she's talking about is just so dang elusive._

**We all know Carey isn't elusive :) review? It was so close to 1,000 words…**


	6. Problems Start Arising

**Hullo guys :D Vote in my poll on my profile and visit my blog at .com, please. If you wanna join or something just give me a shout-out.**

Chapter 5: Problems Start Arising

After exploring the kaleidoscopic range of rainbow colors and their numerous textures that stocked the interior of fabric shop, Carey's eyes were tired. So many colors bursting into her vision all at once was pretty overwhelming. She looked outside and saw that dusk was falling. Carey felt compelled to buy something, especially after she drifted among the racks for an extended amount of time. Almost everything in the shop she didn't need, or she didn't have the money for. The shopkeeper was throwing suspicious glances at her from time to time, as if she really had the nerve to steal something. She decided against buying something.

"Have a nice day!" The girl called over her shoulder as she strode out the door. After all, if she was going to survive she would have to make her own decisions and stop being such a softie. The shopkeeper took one look at her and scowled. _The brat didn't even buy anything, _he thought to himself. The young girl pushed through the snow which had been blowing in such a way that it didn't pile up against the door. Or maybe they were designed like that… Musing over this, she passed a couple bickering. They were too caught up in it that they didn't notice they were a mere foot away from the very girl they had been searching for.

Inside, a very irritated Will interrogated a very irked shopkeeper while Alyss stood to the side, thinking about all the things that could go terribly wrong that she could revise into something that was better fit for this situation. The woman wasn't a diplomat for nothing, after all. Time to step in.

…

Another exhausting day. Carey had retreated to her room a few minutes ago, which Jenny had so kindly pointed out to her. Gratefully, Carey sunk down on the mattress, a cup of tea in hand. She undid her cloak with one hand and tossed it over the back of a chair, the wood worn with time. The girl finished her tea, reflecting upon how lucky she was to be in such a giving position in such a nice inn and restaurant managed by such a nice lady. Her mother had taught her to focus on the good things in life and send out positive thoughts into the universe, and she would receive good things in turn. Michael called it, "Give happy, get happy." Carey missed him dearly. Even though she knew it wouldn't do her good to go out and mope around about what she was supposed to do and how to get money for things she needed and all that, she couldn't help feeling a tad bit down.

A knock on the door brought Carey to attention, and she ended up splashing water down her front from the basin she was using to clean her hands and face before turning in for the night.

"Come in," she said quietly, as to not wake anyone else up. She didn't know what time it was, although she knew she was very sleepy from the time differences. She was surprised to see Jenny holding a bundle of fabric. She was too tired to even think of who else would be visiting her.

"Here," Jenny thrust the bundle into her arms. "It's just an extra blanket and an old nightgown of mine. It's probably big on you but I'm sure it'll be fine for the night." she said briskly. "Don't worry about it, I've got plenty of nightgowns and blankets." Carey was so tired all she could do was blink sleepily at her. "Are you okay?"

"Wha-? Yeah, I'm fine, just tired. But I can't take this from you, it's yours," Carey protested once she realized that Jenny had given her her very own clothes to sleep in. "You've already given me enough." If Jenny was shocked that someone in need refused her, she hid it.

"No, no I insist." She gently steered Carey further into the room, then left her standing there. Jenny let herself out of the room. Carey just changed into the nightgown, she figured, why not? _Then _she flopped down onto the bed, eyes closing before her head hit the pillow. Dreams start to whirl around her brain, blurring the line between reality and dreamland.

Jenny walked downstairs, genuinely worried for Carey. _I wonder if all Nihon-Jans are that nice… I'll have to ask Will. _

After a long conversation and her second time that night trying to convince Alyss that it was perfectly fine that they could take her bed (it was still snowing heavily outside) and she would be fine taking the extra cot, she too was exhausted. Will, on the other hand, was quite ticked that Alyss had decided to argue with Jenny. Why shouldn't they be able to stay after Jenny offered (especially because it was snowing out)? They were, after all, _almost _lifelong friends. Will quite honestly believed that they had fun arguing. He had even consulted Halt about it before; Halt most definitely didn't know either. They decided (after a letter to Gil and his reply) that it was just one of those girls things that irked him.

Soon after, Jenny's restaurant and inn's inhabitants all drifted off to sleep, unaware of the dangers that beheld them the next morning…

**I think I'm going to rewrite the prologue… I think that was only okay but please please please tell me what you think**


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